


Against All Odds

by sleepicide



Series: The Rain Stops [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Animal Instincts, Character Death, Eventual Happy Ending, F/F, F/M, Flashbacks, Hatake Kakashi Has Issues, Hatake Kakashi is a Good Teacher, Hurt/Comfort, Hyuuga Neji Lives, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Pack Dynamics, Parent Hatake Kakashi, Protective Haruno Sakura, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Protective Siblings, Protective Uchiha Sasuke, Protective Uzumaki Naruto, Sad with a Happy Ending, Uzumaki Naruto is a Good Friend, fuck canon it's a bitch anyway, ish
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-20 21:04:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21063161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepicide/pseuds/sleepicide
Summary: Sasuke huffed as they entered the Haztanukai compound, eyeing it with mild distaste and Sakura cuffed him upside the head. Naruto was looking around, nearly entranced, while Shikamaru and Kiba were being nosy, in a discreet way.People eyed them oddly, but Kakashi was nothing if not a gentleman, so he gently tapped a woman on the shoulder.or;Kakashi and the pack take in Taedo, Freyja's son. As always with Haztanukai's, chaos, fluff, and pain ensues. Follow the dysfunctional family while they try to raise an off-kilter child, and try not to kill him.





	Against All Odds

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this work potentially could be read as a stand alone, but a lot of stuff wont make sense, as two books are the build up to this one. either way, I hope you enjoy!  
much love,   
carson xx

Sasuke huffed as they entered the Haztanukai compound, eyeing it with mild distaste and Sakura cuffed him upside the head. Naruto was looking around, nearly entranced, while Shikamaru and Kiba were being nosy, in a discreet way.

People eyed them oddly, but Kakashi was nothing if not a gentleman, so he gently tapped a woman on the shoulder.

She turned around, eyes wide,  _ brown _ , and kind, “Yes?” she asked, and Kakashi eye-smiled.

“Do you know where Yoko is?” he questioned, and the woman’s eyes widened, if that was possible.

“Oh, oh! That’s how I recognized you! Ada, Ada come here!” she called, and a 15 year old popped her head out from behind the market stall.

“Yes, Akimoto-san?” she asked, and the woman motioned to the small group of nin.

“It’s Freyja’s group of friends, they asked for Yoko-san! Take them, quickly.” she instructed, and the dark-haired teen gasped, jumping over the stall with ease.

She bowed, before popping back up, “You are here for Freyja-san’s son, Tadeo-kun, yes?” she asked, black eyes twinkling, and Kakashi nodded.

“Yes, we are.”

“Excellent, he’s been dying to meet you, although I assume from your sullen looks, it’s under bad circumstances.” her smile turned sad, and Naruto nodded.

“Yeah, she passed away a week ago.”

“I see. She was a kind woman, truly the pinicle of beauty, and my gay awakening.” Sakura choked on her spit, but the younger girl paid her no heed as she leads them to a small house, before knocking on the door. “Yoko-san, it’s Freyja-san’s  _ pack _ !” she called, and an older woman opened the door.

Despite her apparent old-age, her hair was pitch black, but other than that she had the whole granny-appleseed look going on.

“Ah, it is a pleasure to meet all of you,” she smiled at them, stepping aside, “Come inside. Thank you for escorting them, Ada.”

“Of course, Yoko-san!” she beamed, before racing back the way she came. The woman closes the door, turning to the sitting shinobi.

“I assume Freyja has passed, yes?” she asked, and Kakashi nods.

“Yes, she has.”

“I see. You have come to retrieve Tadeo, then?” she pours them all glasses of tea, and they nod. “Very well then. Tae?” she calls up the stairs, and thunderous little feet come racing down.

“Wow.” he mumbles, grinning, eyes raking over the group, “You’re cooler than mom said you were! Smell better, too. Wow, wow wow wow.” he’s mumbling up a storm as he comes to sit on the counter, and Kakashi’s heart clenches and swells at the same time.

His hair is styled almost just like Freyja’s signiture one, but his bangs hang like Sasuke’s did when he was a genin. His eyes are shaped like a Nara’s, but are a weird mix of a grayed jade and a peachy-pink, and are pupiless. Other than that, he looks almost like a perfect blend of Shikamaru and Freyja.

All eyes turn to him and the male glares.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that, I would’ve been 13.” he defends, and Sasuke hums, judgmentally.

“Hello, Tadeo-kun, I’m-” Sakura starts, but the boy cuts her off.

“You’re Sakura! And that’s Naruto, Sasuke, Shika, Kiba and Akamaru, and then Kakashi!” he recites, naming them in the order they’re sitting in, “So we’re missing Neji, Kouji, and Ino!”

Sasuke nods, impressed, and Sakura chuckles.

“Yes, that’s correct, we’re here to take you to Kohana.”

“Oh! I’ve always wanted to go to Kohana!” he’s bouncing where he sits, and Akamaru barks.

“You do understand why we’re taking you to Kohana, right?” Kakashi asks, and Tadeo nods.

“Cause my mom’s dead!” he beams, and Shikamaru chokes on his tea.

“Well, yes, bu-”

“Taedo, you can’t just say things like that.”

Shikamaru might just be better off dying, from how much he chokes. Another girl, around the chunin’s age, but almost as tall as Frey had been, stands at the bottom of the stairs: her chest is wrapped in bandages, and she has baggy utility pants on, with one leg cut at the midthigh, and the rest down to her ankles is skin-tight mesh.

She narrows her eyes at the group, before turning to Tadeo, “Sup lil man? You’re about to be kidnapped by mean Kohana nin, and I’m coming with you.” 

“ _ KIDNAPPED?”  _ he yelps, and Sakura glares at the girl.

“Oh, you’re pretty when you glare. Do it some more.” she teases. The pink-haired girl flushes, and Yoko sighs.

“Must you seduce all the nin the pass through?”

“Of course, it’ll add to my bone pile.” she says, before walking out the door.

“Troublesome.” Shikamaru sighed, face still flushed, and Kiba glanced around at them.

“We’re just not gonna talk about the bone pile?”

“No.” Kakashi said, sighing, “No we are not.”

The trip back to Kohana was.. interesting. Emiko, as promised, accompanied them to Kohana, and dealt with Tadeo’s tantrums with a practiced ease.

“So, why are you joining us?” Sasuke asked, and she hummed.

“I heard Kohana had good ANBU, and Freyja left me in charge of Tadeo. Once we get there, I plan to join, and then help with Edo without interfering with your  _ pack  _ dynamics.” she paused, before she smiled, “You smell the most like her, honestly.” 

Sasuke gave a ‘hn’ in response, but Kakashi could tell he was pleased by this revelation.

She, like most Haztanukai’s, didn’t need much sleep, and this was only added to the fact that she was apparently strung like a livewire. Her anxiety was through the roof, and this was great, if you were in danger of being ambushed. Which they were not.

When they arrived, Izumo and Kotetsu were slightly startled to see two Freyja look-alikes, but bounced back rather quickly. No sooner than we’d stepped into the gate, did Emiko kiss Tadeo on the forehead, and disappear in a shunshin.

“Let’s go, kids.” Kakashi drawled, and Tadeo hummed from his spot on Akamaru’s back.

“Where are we going?”

“Home, the rest of the  _ pack  _ is waiting for us.” Kiba smiled at him, and Tadeo grinned back and oh, he had fangs. The Inuzuka’s fangs are one thing, he’d noticed, they were just normal incisors elongated slightly; Haztanukai’s, on the other hand, were just the top two, and at four, his fangs were already around the width of Kiba’s ring finger, narrowed down into a sharp point.

“Thank you for bringing me back to Kohana.” he smiled up at Kakashi, who waved his thanks away.

“It’s no problem, Tadeo. Your mom was  _ Pack _ , it’s only natural that we'd take you in.” he eye-smiled, and the boy’s expression dropped, as he stared at the silver-haired man indecipherably. He was slightly uncomfortable, he could practically see the gears turning in his head.

When they arrived at the Hatake compound, dinner was already done. Neji was practicing his taijutsu in the courtyard, Ino was reading an old book of Freyja’s, and Kouji and Taiaki were watching Neji.

They’d all moved into the Hatake compound, per his suggestion, and it’s worked out well so far. They’d all been anxiously awaiting the arrival of the pup, so the previously-dead compound was buzzing with energy.

Kakashi let down the wards for a moment,and once they were in, reinstated them.

In seconds, the trio and canine were standing in the doorway to the main-house. Naruto waved at them, before picking up the pup under his armpits and hoisting him up.

“We have retrieved the prize, believe it!” he yells, and Sasuke rolls his eyes fondly, while Sakura giggled. Shikamaru sighed, taking Tadeo from him, much to his displeasure, and set him on his shoulders. Kiba pouted a little, but was back to his cheerful self in seconds.

“Hi, Tadeo, I’m Ino.” the blonde girl said, “Mind if I hold you?” she asked, and the boy shrugged.

“The women at the compound totted me around all the time.”

Ino squeals, taking him off of the Nara’s shoulders, and setting him on her hip. He was an unusually small child, and it was mildly concerning, Kakashi noted, before dismissing it; it could be a Haztanukai thing.

“Neji, isn’t he adorable?” she asked, turning to the male, and the Hyuga hummed, staring at him for a second, before turning a glaring eye to their small group.

“He looks like Shikamaru.” he said in an accusatory tone, and the Nara huffed, glaring back at him.

“We know. Nara genes run strong in their clan apparently.” he mumbled, and Tadeo frowned

“Mom said my dad was a Nara. But he was a bad man, so she killed him.” Kouji gives a small snort at the kid’s straightforwardness, and ruffles his black hair. 

“Well, we’ll only expect you to be the best you can be, Tadeo, so don’t worry about who your dad was.” he gave a gentle smile, and Taiaki yipped in agreement.

“Okay.” he smiled back at him, and Kouji physically flinched back; he looked so much like her.

“I’m not feeling so well,” he mutters, turning and leaving the room, and Tadeo watches him.

“I’m sorry. I know I look a lot like her.” he mutters, and Kakashi blinks at the expression on his face, familiar yet different.

<strike>_gentle _**_smiles_**_ and sweet laughs with home cooked meals and soft touches becoming soaked with blood _**_blood_**_ so much blood he could _**_smell it _**_it was filling his mouth_**_ brown eyes,_** **_brown eyes_**_ intelligent and sweet and _**_tears_**_ tears on a_**_ blood streaked corpse_**_ she left she’s dead _**_brown eyes _**_black hair tan skin large hands blood so much blood _**_broken bones _**_protruding from her skin-_</strike>

“You can’t help you genetics, Tadeo,” Neji says, plucking him from Ino’s arms, and propping him on his own hip.

“Emi said the same thing,” he replies, and the boy nods.

“She sounds smart.” he hums, turning and walking into the common room with him, the rest of the pack following behind him. The travel-tired shinobi fixed themself some dinner, eating quietly as their other two chatted and bonded with their new pup.

“Hey, Kakashi,” Sakura said, lowly, as she gazed at the small boy.

“Yes, Sakura?” he muttered back, not bothering to look up from his dinner.

“Who’s going to play the father figure here?” she asked, and the Copy-nin choked on his soup.

“That’s a good question.” he hummed, raising an amused brow as Tadeo poked the bridge of Neji’s nose, much to the older boy’s horror.

“I mean, it makes sense for it to be you, but I understand if you aren’t ready for that yet. You watched her in her last moments, that’s not something you just get over. We’re doing this as a  _ pack _ , Kakashi, it isn’t a one man show.” she said, hesitantly placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He mulled over her words, before nodding. “I understand, and I think we should just play it by how we feel, and not try to shove ourselves into labeled boxes.” he suggested, and he saw Naruto and Sasuke nod out the corner of his eye. Shikamaru and Kiba had went to go tourture their newest member a little at some point in the conversation. 

Tadeo was currently pinned to the ground, being tickled within an inch of his life. Kiba’s own snickering was cut short, and Kakashi stiffened as he smelt blood.

The 4 year old scrambled out from under the other male, eyes wild and in a defensive position. The Inuzuka looked at Tadeo, three small claw marks on the side on his face, and then at the elongated and sharpened nails on his hands.

“What were you doing.” he stated, and Kiba looked at him strangely.

“I was tickling you?”

“What’s that?”

Kakashi nearly plunged a kunai in his sternum. Dear  _ god.  _ It was worse than he thought.   
  


After sitting down and explaining to the boy what tickling was, he nodded, before promptly asking where his room was so he could sleep. Sakura had chuckled, and taken his hand and lead him to the designated room.

Kakashi sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I deserve mission pay for you bunch.” he muttered, and Ino giggled.

“I think you deserved mission pay for Team 7, Kakashi, but oh well.” she waved a dismissive hand, and he rolled his eyes. 

“You kids are gonna give me a stroke.” he sighed, “I can say goodbye to my fleeting youth.”

“What youth? You’re thirty.” Shikamaru grumbled, and the silver-haired man glared.

“But I can still kick your ass.” he bit back, and the Nara boy rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah, it’s late, let's go to bed.” he groaned, rolling over before getting up, popping his back.

Kakashi cringed slightly at the atrocious popping noise, and Shikamaru just grinned.

“Get that checked out, dude,” Kiba said as he walked back out the bathroom, a bandage over his new wounds. The lazy boy shrugged, before ambling down towards his respective room.

The dog-boy sighed, scratching his canine companion’s head lightly as he looked at the ninken-owner.

“She looks a lot like her, you know.” Kiba remarks, frowning, and Kakashi nods.

“Emiko does look a lot like her, I think they may be related.” 

“Would make sense.” he sighed, leaning his head back to rest on the couch. “I miss her, Kashi.”

<strike> ** _‘lie_ ** _ to me’  _ ** _brown eyes_ ** _ dull and glassy mouth filling with _ ** _ blood heavy on his tongue_ ** _ blood blood everywhere _ ** _ bones_ ** _ broken bones and  _ ** _ribs_ ** _ sticking out  _ ** _brown eyes_ ** _ soft smile  _ ** _scars _ ** _ covered in rivets of _ ** _ red _ ** _ red color of apple _ ** _ she_ ** _ loved apples like her favorite color red red  _ ** _crimson_ ** _ crimson  _ ** _blood thick and warm _ ** _ quickly cooling pale face  _ ** _cold hands_ ** _ weak pine  _ ** _bloodied pine _ ** _ wet dog death death she  _ ** _smelled like death_ ** _ blood  _ ** _blood _ ** _ so much blood _ - </strike>

“We all do, Kiba. We all do.” he stood from the table, ruffling the Inuzuka’s hair as he passed. He heard a yelp of protest, and chuckled, but he felt tired and weary.

This whole Haztanukai business is just one mess after another.

  
  


The next morning the silver-haired jounin walked into the common room, smiling slightly at everyone already eating. Taedo was doing weird stuff with chakra on his palm, and Kakashi rose a brow.

“What’s that?” he asked, gazing at what looked to be like misshapen animals dancing across it.

“It’s called The Storyteller. Yoko-san invented it.” he frowned, “I’ve been practicing, but I can’t get it down yet.” he grumbled, “It can be used as defensive and offensive attacks, but it’s really just something to entertain pups.” he said, andthe jounin nodded.

He reached for his forehead protector, only for a small, clawed hand to grab his wrist. He startled slightly, noticing everyone turning their heads to watch them, as he met Taedo’s unsettling gaze.

“I will not allow you to copy The Storyteller, Kakashi. It was invented by my grandmother, and only four people have ever known it. You are not blood, it is not your right to possess it as well.” the tips on his nails dug it, sinking past the fabric of his long sleeved shirt, pupiless eyes cold and watching, and Kakashi nodded.

“I understand.” the claws were retracted, and the hand fell away. They stared at each other, before Shikamaru shifted.

“Tell us about your raising in the Haztanukai compound.” he instructs, and Taedo nods, turning his attention to them.

“Ever since I can remember, I have been training under the best shinobi in the Haztanukai compound. Due to my smarts and rather impressive chakra control, by the Elders I was deemed,” his gaze filters around, and he gives a small sigh, seeming bored with the situation, “‘Project Shinobi X.’ This project’s main goal is to turn me into the ultimate weapon, unlike my mother, who although strong, was weak, and couldn’t handle seeing her genin team slaughtered like cattle.” he frowns, glancing to the picture of all of us on the wall, “They talk of a Freyja not even you got to know, and I envy those who did. I didn’t get to know my mother at all, really. She was always fighting with the elders..

“But back to Shinobi X. My goal is to become the best weapon of the Haztanukai name, and to surpass Freyja Haztanukai, the best spirit holder to date. My caretaker, Emiko, was sent along here to ensure that this happens. No matter personal connections while I am here, this is my destiny, and I have to live it.”

A heavy silence coated the room, and Neji gritted his teeth.

“Not if you don’t want it to be.” he said, ad the boy shrugged.

“I do. It’s only natural that I take up this role.” he countered and Sakura tilted her head.

“Why? Aren’t you just like any other four year old?” she asked and the boy brushed his bangs out of his face, before meeting Sakura’s gaze.

“Not only am I the last spirit holder as of right now, but I also have the ability to retain the highest spirit count yet.” Sasuke tilted his head, watching Taedo as the younger grabbed a lollipop from the candy jar, and unwrapped it.

“What is it?”

“Well, in the past, the highest has been five, but your body cannot handle all five at once, so you must gain the other one years later.” he hummed, “Having more than three spirits is extremely dangerous on the body, and most don’t even have three.”

“So how many do  _ you  _ have, Tae?” Naruto asked, cocking his head to the side.

“I have the ability to bear eight spirits. I will retain all eight, four of which will remain dormant until a dire situation,” he popped the sucker in his mouth, and Ino’s hands shook.

“Eight?” she asked, and he nodded.

“That’s what I said.” he mumbled, flushing slightly, “Stop staring at me, you creeps.” he averted his gaze to the floor, and huffed.

“Jesus christ, I think I need to sit down.” the blonde girl breathed, collapsing on the couch. Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Do you know what spirits you’ll get?”

“Besides Kin, Dorje, Suotomo and Guadalupe, no, I don’t.” he kicks his feet idly, putting the lollipop back in his mouth.

“That’s bad for your teeth.” the Uchiha points out, and the Haztanukai raises a brow.

“Your face is bad for my eyes.” he retorts, and Naruto hisses under his breath

“Get burned, Sasuke.” he mutters, and the ravenette shoved him slightly, huffing.

“So, you’re okay with being told to become a weapon?” Sakura asked, gently placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

He nodded, smiling, “My mom told me to be the best I could be, and if this is it, then it’s my goal!”

“Then we’ll support you, unless it gets unhealthy.” the pink-haired girl mutters, and Kakashi raises a brow.

“We will?”

“Yes,” she glared at him, “we will. This is his goal, like Naruto’s dream to become hokage, and we should support him.”

“Troublesome,” Shikamaru muttered, but a smile was playing on his lips, “I’ve got your back, kid.”

Kiba grinned, “So do me and Akamaru, Taedo, so don’t worry, you’ll be the best there is.”

Neji hummed, but nodded, “I won’t hesitate to kick your ass if you get out of hand though, Taedo.” the boy waved his head, muttering ‘yeah yeah’ under his breath.

The oldest sighes, “Well now I have to support you or I look bad.” he mutters, mockingly, and Taedo, the little shit, nods.

“Mhm! We’ve bullied you into a corner!” he chirps, and Kakashi just shakes his head fondly.

These kids..


End file.
